NEIGHBOURS have told how they saw a dad dying outside his front door after being allegedly stabbed to death by his stepson.

NEIGHBOURS have told how they saw a dad dying outside his front door after being allegedly stabbed to death by his stepson.

Steve McIntyre was knifed to death after an alleged family row turned to tragedy.

The 37-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital following the incident at his home on Austen Place, in South Stanley, County Durham.

Three people, who the Chronicle understands to be his partner, Lisa Walsh, and her teenage children Louise and Christopher Hodgson, were initially arrested and questioned following the incident on Saturday. But yesterday Christopher, 19, was charged with murder.

Today neighbours have paid tribute to Gateshead-born Mr McIntyre and told how they watched paramedics desperately try to save his life as he lay dying outside his front door.

Jennie Dixon, who lives next door with her husband Alan, said: “He was a lovely man, it’s just so upsetting.”

Mr McIntyre, who ran Nico’s Deli, in Stanley, lived with his partner Lisa, their seven-year-old daughter Jade, and Lisa’s two children from a previous relationship, Christopher, 19, and Louise, 17.

Jennie, 63, told the Chronicle how at around 11.30pm on Friday, she and her 59-year-old husband heard loud arguing from next door.

“The walls are really thin so we can hear everything and there had been a few arguments there, but nothing out of the ordinary for a family with teenagers,” said Jennie.

“But on Friday night I heard a lot of shouting. It had been going on for about an hour.

“My husband said ‘this sounds serious’. Then we heard screaming. The next thing we knew the paramedics had arrived.”

Alan and Jennie went outside and were met by the horrendous sight of paramedics attempting to resuscitate their neighbour on his doorstep.

“We could see them working on him by the door,” said Jennie. “Then they got a stretcher and took him away in an ambulance. But I think he had already gone.”

Mr McIntyre was pronounced dead on arrival at the University Hospital of North Durham.

The ambulance service informed police who were quickly on the scene and arrested the three adults at the house. They were all questioned throughout Saturday and Sunday at separate police stations in County Durham. Officers say Mr McIntyre was found in a pool of blood by paramedics, who were called by someone at the house. A post mortem revealed he died of stab wounds to the chest.

Lisa, who is training to be a midwife, and Mr McIntyre had been together for around 10 years. Originally from Gateshead, Mr McIntyre agreed to move to Stanley where Lisa’s family are from.

They had lived in near-by Mendip Terrace before moving to Austen Place around three years ago.

The Dixon’s described their neighbours as a close, loving hard-working family.

And they said Mr McIntyre worked at his deli during the day and delivered pizzas for a takeaway in Stanley at night to earn extra money to improve their family home.

Jennie continued: “Steve was just lovely. He was really big, but he would just do anything for anyone. He would mow your lawn for you and fix things for all the neighbours. He could turn his hand to anything.

“They had been living in Gateshead, but Lisa wanted to come back here to be near her father.

“They were a very close couple. They never went out without each other apart from to go to work. They didn’t go out a lot, and they weren’t big drinkers. I have never heard Steve raise his voice. It’s just awful.”

Yesterday, the terraced house, which is on a pedestrianised street, remained cordoned off with police tape, while uniformed officers stood guard.

“He will go before magistrates on Monday morning. The other two people arrested have been released with no further action.”

Other neighbours have also told of their shock at finding a murder scene near their homes.

Lee Carr, 26, came home after a night out and saw a hive of police activity. It brought memories flooding back of when his mother, Susan, was murdered hours after her birthday by her boyfriend, Peter Killeen, in 2004, only streets away.

Lee said: “I try not to think about it what happened to my mam but when I saw the police cars it brought things back. I can’t believe that another murder has taken place around here.”

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